Chapter 8 Chapter VII

Jamie was dressing when he heard a hesitant knock on the door.He listened attentively, and there was another knock at the door.He went to the door and opened it.Margaret stood there. "Come in, Margie," Jamie said, "what's the matter?" It was the first time she had been in his hotel room.She went inside, but now, when she was face to face with him, she found it difficult to speak again.She lay awake all night last night, thinking about how to tell him the news.She was afraid that he might never want to see her again. She looked into his eyes. "Ian, I have your baby."

His face was so blank that Margaret worried that she would lose him.Suddenly, his expression became so joyful that all her doubts vanished.He took her by the arm and said, "That's great, Marge! That's great! Did you tell your father?" Margaret flinched from his arms in horror. "Oh, no! He..." She walked to the plush green Victorian sofa and sat down. "You don't know my father. He...you never will." Jamie hurriedly put on his shirt. "Come on! Let's go tell him together." "You sure everything's okay, Jamie." "I've never been so sure in my life."

※※※ Salomon van der Merwe was weighing biltong for a diamond digger when Jamie and Margaret strode into the shop. "Ah, Ian, I'll be here in a while." He hurriedly finished his business with the customer and walked towards Jamie. "How nice it is today, is everything going well?" asked van der Merwe. "There's nothing better," said Jamie cheerfully. "Your Maggie is about to have a baby." The air suddenly froze. "I-I don't understand," stammered van der Merwe. "It's simple, I got her pregnant." Van der Merwe's face suddenly paled.He looked back and forth between them in confusion. "Is this... is this true?" Contradictory emotions made Van der Merwe dizzy.What a terrible blow to lose the virginity of his beloved daughter...she is pregnant...he will be the laughing stock of the whole town.But Ian is a rich man.If they get married soon...

Van der Merwe walked over to Jamie. "Of course you're going to get married right away." Jamie looked at him in surprise. "Married? Will you promise Maggie to marry a fool who is so stupid that you will cheat him of everything?" Van der Merwe was bewildered. "What are you talking about? Ian. I never..." "My name's not Ian," Ian said sternly, "I'm Jamie McGregor. You don't recognize me?" He saw the bewildered look on van der Merwe's face. "No. Of course you won't know me. The lad is dead. You killed him. But I'm not one to hold grudges, Van der Merwe. I have a present for you now. My seed is in your daughter in the stomach."

Then Jamie turned and walked out.The remaining two stared at his back, not knowing what to do. Margaret listened to Jamie with astonishment and disbelief.What he just said can't be what he really meant.he loves her.he…… Salomon van der Merwe turned to his daughter, almost maddened by pain. "You bitch," he growled, "bitch, get out! Get out of here!" Marguerite stood transfixed.Still can't comprehend the meaning of the terrible things that have happened.Ian blames her for what her father did.Ian thinks she's involved in some dirty tricks, too.Who is Jamie McGregor?Who……?

"Get out!" Van der Merwe slapped her hard. "I will never see you again in my life." Margaret stood there rooted to her feet, her heart beating so fast that she couldn't breathe.Her father's face was that of a madman.She turned around.Without even looking back, he escaped from the shop. ※※※ Salomon van der Merwe stood there, and a sense of desperation gripped his heart as he saw his daughter rush out.He had seen what happened to daughters who had done unseemly things and brought families into disrepute.Forced to stand in the pillory in front of churches, they were publicly humiliated before fleeing and disappearing from society.What a fitting punishment this is, what a self-defeating one.But his Margaret was raised in respectable, God-fearing surroundings.How could she betray him like this?Van der Merwe imagined his daughter's naked body against the man, writhing like an animal in the heat.

He hung the closed sign on the front door of the shop and lay down on the bed, with no strength or desire to move.He would be the butt of ridicule when word spread throughout town.For his daughter's depraved behavior, some people will pity him, while others will blame him.Whether pity or blame, this is unbearable.He had to keep the news from those around him.He's going to drive this bitch away for good.He knelt down and prayed, "Oh God! How could you do this to me, a servant so loyal to You? Why did you abandon me? Let her die, oh God. Let them all die... ..." ※※※ The Sundowner Bar was brisk at noon and packed, and Jamie went in.He walked toward the bar, turned to the people in the room and said, "Attention!" The conversation died down. "Let's all have a drink."

"What's going on?" Smit asked. "Dig up new diamonds?" Jamie laughed. "In a way, my friend. Salomon van der Merwe's unmarried daughter is pregnant. Mr. Salomon van der Merwe wants everyone to celebrate." Smit whispered, "Oh, Lord!" "Jesus Christ has nothing to do with this. It's Jamie McGregor who has something to do with it." ※※※ Within an hour, the news had become a household word in Kripdrift.They learned that Ian Travis' real name was Jamie McGregor and how he impregnated Vandermerwe's daughter.Marguerite van der Merwe had deceived the whole town.

"She doesn't look like that kind of woman, does she?" "The water is still and deep." "I don't know how many men in this town fucked her." "She has a nice figure. I'll share that too." "Why don't you ask her. She's sold herself." Then the men all laughed. ※※※ When van der Merwe left the shop that afternoon, he had come to terms with the magnitude of the disaster he had encountered.He had intended for Margaret to take the next coach to Cape Town, where she would give birth to her bastard.In this way, the people of Kripdratt will not know the disgrace he has suffered.Van der Merwe came out of the shop into the street with a secret in his heart and a smile on his lips.

"Good afternoon, Mr. van der Merwe. I hear you are getting some baby clothes ready." "The weather is fine, Salomon. I heard that your shop will soon have an assistant." "Hi, Salomon. I hear a bird-watcher has just spotted a new target on the banks of the Vaal. Yes, sir. There's a nest." Salomon van der Merwe turned and stumbled back to the shop, closing the door behind him. ※※※ In the Sunset Bar, Jamie drank whiskey and listened to the gossip around him.It was the biggest scandal Kripdrift had ever seen, and the whole town was talking about it. "I wish," thought Jamie, "that Banda would share this joy with me." It was Salomon van der Merwe's retribution for what he had done to Banda's sister, and what he had done to Jamie. Everything, and yes—how many others?This is only part of the price Salomon van der Merwe has to pay for all his crimes, and the revenge has only just begun.Until Van der Merwe was completely destroyed, Jamie's revenge could not be counted.As for Marguerite, he expressed no sympathy for her.She is involved in these activities.Didn't she say something like that when they first met?My father may be the one who can help you.She knows all this.She is from the van der Merwes.Jamie was going to destroy them both.

Smit walked over to where Jamie was sitting. "Can I speak to you for a moment, Mr. McGregor?" "What's up?" Smit cleared his throat unnaturally. "I know some miners who own ten diamond mines near the headwaters of Pornière. They dig up the diamonds, but these guys can't afford the proper equipment to further mine their mines. They're looking for a partner People. I thought you might be interested." Jamie looked at him. "That's the ten you were talking about with van der Merwe, wasn't it?" Smith nodded, surprised. "Yes, sir. But I'm considering your proposal. I'd rather do business with you." Jamie took out a stout cigar, and Smit hurried to light it. "Say it." Smith went on. ※※※ Kripdrift's prostitution business started out in a state of disarray.Most of the prostitutes were black and worked in seedy backstreet brothels.The first white prostitutes to arrive in town were half-day barmaids.But with the rise of diamond mining, towns boomed, and more white prostitutes emerged. On the outskirts of Kripdrift there were half a dozen brothels, all tin-roofed cabins.The only exception is Lady Agnes's brothel.It was a decent-looking two-story house in Polley Street.Next to Rope Street, which is the main thoroughfare of the town, and the wives of the townspeople are never offended when they must pass through it.The husbands of the wives frequented the street, and strangers new to the city could come here for sex if they could afford it.Although this brothel is expensive, the prostitutes are young and open-minded, and the hospitality is considerate, so there are many customers.In a well-decorated living room, a variety of beverages are stocked.Mrs. Agnes also has a rule that clients don't have to leave in a hurry, and the price is not bad.Lady Agnes herself was a pleasant red-haired woman of about thirty-five.She had worked in a London brothel, and was moved to South Africa by tales of easy money in mining towns like Cripdrift.She saved enough money to open a brothel of her own, and it was a thriving business from the start. Agnes prides herself on knowing men, but Jamie remains an enigma to her.He often came to the brothel, he didn't care about spending money, and he always won the favor of women.But he seemed narcissistic, aloof and haughty, and elusive.His eyes were the pale gray that fascinated Agnes, cold as the waters of unfathomable lakes.Unlike the other customers in the brothel, he never talked about the past.Lady Agnes had only heard a few hours before that Jamie McGregor had impregnated van der Merwe's daughter by any means and then refused to marry her. "The bastard!" thought Lady Agnes.But she had to admit he was an attractive bastard.She now watches Jamie descend the red-carpeted stairs.Saying goodbye to her politely, he left the brothel. ※※※ When Jamie returned to the hotel, Margaret was in his room, looking out the window.She turned when Jamie came in. "Hi, Jamie." Her voice shook. "What are you doing here?" "I need to talk to you." "We have nothing to talk about." "I know why you did this. You hate my father," Margaret said, leaning closer to him, "but you should understand that I know nothing of what he has done to you. Please... I beg you , please believe this. Don't hate me. I love you too much." Jamie looked at her indifferently. "It's your business, isn't it?" "Please don't look at me like that. You love me too..." He doesn't listen to anything.He thought again of that horrific trip at Pardispan that nearly killed him...of carrying gravel on the river beach and dying...of the miraculous discovery of diamonds at the end...of the time when he put When the diamond was handed over to van der Merwe, he was heard saying: "You misunderstood me, boy. I don't need any partners. You work for me...I give you twenty-four hours and you get out of here." This town." Thinking of the brutal beating again.He seemed to smell the stink of vultures again, feel their teeth tearing off his flesh... As if from thousands of miles away, he vaguely heard Margaret's voice: "Don't you remember? I...belong to...you...I love you." He woke up from the memory.looked at her.love.He no longer had any idea what the word meant, and van der Merwe had burnt out all his feelings except hatred.He lives by the fire of vengeance.It was his panacea, his purpose in life.As he battled sharks, passed reefs, and crawled through minefields in the diamond fields of the Namib Desert, it was the fire of vengeance that kept him alive.Poets have written about love, singers have sung about it, maybe there is love, maybe it exists.But love is for other men, not for Jamie McGregor. "You are the daughter of Salomon van der Merwe. You are carrying his grandson. Get out." ※※※ Margaret has nowhere to go.She loved her father and needed his forgiveness, but she knew he would never—never—forgive her.He would make her life a living hell.But she doesn't have any choice.She had to turn to people for help. Marguerite left the hotel and went to her father's shop.She felt everyone she passed staring at her.Some of the men smiled ambiguously, but she held her head up and walked on.When she got to the shop, she hesitated again, then stepped into the shop.The shop was empty, and my father came out from behind. "Father……" "You!" His contemptuous tone was like a slap in the face.He approached her and she could smell the whiskey on his breath. "I want you out of this town. Now. Tonight, you're never to come near this place. Did you hear that? Never!" He took a few bills from his pocket and threw them on the floor. "Take it away, get out of here for me." "I'm pregnant with your grandson." "You are carrying the devil's child!" He approached her and clenched his hands into fists. "Every time people see you wandering the streets like a bitch with your belly out, they think about humiliating me. You're gone and they forget." She looked at him for a while, feeling helpless, then turned around and walked out the door with staggering steps. "Take the money, bitch," he cried, "you forgot to take the money." ※※※ On the outskirts of town there is a cheap meal package shop.Marguerite walked that way, her mind in a state of confusion.She went to find Mrs. Owen, the landlady.Mrs. Owen was about fifty, plump, with a pleasing face.Her husband took her to Kripdrift and abandoned her.A weaker woman might have collapsed, but Mrs. Owen survived.She had seen many people in this town in trouble, but she had never seen anyone more unlucky than the seventeen-year-old girl in front of her. "You want to meet me?" "Yes. I wonder if... if you can find me a job here." "A job? What kind of job?" "Anything. I cook well. I can wait. I can make beds. I...I also..." Her voice was full of desperation. "Oh, please," she begged, "anything!" Mrs. Owen looked at the girl in front of her, and saw her shivering.The sight broke her heart. "I think I can hire more help. When can you start working?" She saw a look of relief on Margaret's face. "Now." "I can only pay you—" She thought of a sum, then added some more. "One pound two shillings and elevenpence a month, plus lodging." "That would be wonderful," said Margaret gratefully. ※※※ Van der Merwe is rarely seen on the streets of Cripdrift these days.More and more customers find that there is a closing sign hanging in front of his shop all day long.It didn't take long for them to go shopping elsewhere. But Salomon van der Merwe still goes to church every Sunday.Instead of praying, he asked God to remove this terrible injustice from a faithful servant like himself.Salomon van der Merwe had always been looked upon with respect by the other congregation because of his wealth and power, but now he could feel that he was being stared at and whispered behind his back.The family that used to sit next to him had moved to other benches.He is the deacon.What broke his spirit completely was the pastor's sermon speech like five thunderbolts. He cleverly mixed the "Ezekiel" and "Leviticus" in the "Bible" and said: "I, your Lord and God, am one God of vigilance, always visits fathers who are unrighteous to their children. Therefore, O harlots, hear the word of the Lord. For your filth is poured out, and your nakedness with your lover is found....The Lord said to Moses: 'Do not rape your daughter and make her a whore; lest the earth fall into fornication, and the earth will become full of sin...'" After that Sunday, van der Merwe never went to church. ※※※ As Salomon van der Merwe's business has plummeted, Jamie McGregor's has thrived.As the diamond mines are dug deeper and deeper, the cost of mining is also increasing.Miners with mining rights are finding it increasingly difficult to afford the tools they need.News of Jamie McGregor's willingness to provide financial assistance in exchange for shares in the deposit quickly spread throughout the city, and many people followed, and Jamie gradually bought out the partners' shares.He also invested in real estate, business and gold mining.In terms of transactions, he abides by his promise, is honest and reliable, so he has a great reputation, and more and more people come to him for business. There were two banks in the town, one bank failed due to poor management.Jamie bought it, put in his own people, but didn't trade in his own name. Jamie seemed to thrive in any business.He is successful in everything, and his wealth is abundant, surpassing his childhood dream.But to him, it didn't make any sense.Success in his mind was measured only by van der Merwe's failures.The revenge has only just begun. Jamie passed Margaret in the street from time to time, but dismissed her. Jamie wondered what effect these encounters had on Margaret.Jamie's presence made Margaret breathless, and she had to stop for a moment before she could restrain herself.She still loved him, with all her heart and without reservation.This cannot be changed.He used her body to punish her father, but Margaret knew that could be a double-edged sword.Soon, she was due to give birth to Jamie's baby.When he saw that child, his own flesh and blood, he might marry her and give the child a name.Margaret would become Mrs. McGregor, who wanted nothing more from life.Every night, before going to bed, she would touch her puffy stomach and say softly, "Our son."The idea of ​​influencing the gender of a child in this way seemed ludicrous, but she didn't want to dismiss the possibility that a man always wanted a son. The belly was getting bigger and bigger, and Margaret was getting more and more afraid.She wished she had someone to talk to.However, the women of the town never talked to her.Religion taught them to punish, not to forgive.She is surrounded by strangers.She felt terribly alone, and often cried late at night for herself and her unborn child. Jamie McGregor has bought a two-storey house in Cripdrift Center to use it as a headquarters for further development of his business.One day Jamie's chief accountant, Harry McMillan, came to talk to him. "We're merging and expanding your company," he told Jamie, "need a name for the company. Do you have any suggestions?" "let me consider it." Jamie pondered this, and as his mind kept replaying the echoes of the diamond mines in the Namib Desert so long ago piercing the sea fog, he knew there was only one name he needed.He called the chief accountant in and said: "The name of our new company is Kruger-Brent. Kruger-Brent Ltd." Jamie's bank manager, Alvin Corey, comes to him. "It's about the van der Merwe loan," he said. "He's been a long time in arrears. It was okay to give him some accommodation in the past, and he's in a completely different position now, Mr. McGregor. I think we should get the loan back." "No." Corey looked at Jamie in amazement. "He came to the bank this morning to borrow more money, to..." "Lend it to him. Give him what he wants." The manager stood up and said, "With all due respect, Mr. McGregor. I'll tell him you..." "Don't tell him anything, just lend him money." ※※※ Margaret gets up at 5 o'clock every morning to bake delicious loaves and yeast biscuits.When the cooks flocked to the restaurant for breakfast, she served them porridge, ham, eggs, buckwheat cakes, sweet rolls, and steaming coffee and local drinks.The vast majority of the meal guests are workers who travel to and from the diamond mine.They rested at Cripdrift for a while, had their diamonds estimated, had a bath, got very drunk, and visited a brothel or two.Usually this is the order.Most of them are illiterate and rude adventurers. Kripdrift has an unwritten law that women of good families are not to be molested.If a man wants to play with a woman, he can go to a whore.In this way, it was a challenge for Margaret, because she did not belong to the category of these two types of women.No good woman would conceive without marriage, and, it has been said, since Margaret had fallen once, she might have been eager to sleep with anyone else if they asked.And they did. Some diamond workers were rowdy and rowdy, while others were leering and furtive.Marguerite responded with silent dignity.But one night, as Mrs. Owen was making her bed, a scream was heard in Margaret's room in the back room.The landlady knocked open the door and rushed in.A drunken miner had stripped off Margaret's nightgown and pinned her down on the bed. Mrs. Irwin jumped on him like a tiger, picked up an iron and hit him.She was half the size of a miner, but that didn't matter.Filled with rage, she knocked the miner unconscious, dragged him down the aisle, and threw him into the street.Then she turned and hurried back to Margaret's room.Margaret was already wiping the blood from her lips, which had been bitten by the man.Her hands kept shaking. "Are you all right, Margie?" "It's all right. I—thank you, Mrs. Owen." Tears came out involuntarily.Here, in a town where few people spoke to her, kindness was extended to her. Mrs. Owen considered Margaret's big belly, thinking. "Poor slut. Jamie McGregor will never marry her." ※※※ The due date is approaching.Margaret tires easily now, and bending and standing up is a struggle.Her only pleasure was to feel the baby wriggling in her belly.She and her son were alone in the world, but she used to talk to the baby in her womb for hours on end, telling him that all the good things in life were waiting for him. One evening, just after supper, a black boy appeared at the tavern and handed Margaret a sealed letter. "I'm waiting for a reply," the boy told her. Margaret read the letter once, and then read it again, very slowly. "Okay," she said, "write back and say, I'll go." At noon the following Friday, Margaret came to Lady Agnes's brothel, where there was a "Closed" sign.Margaret knocked on the door carefully, ignoring the surprised eyes of passers-by.She wondered if she had made a mistake in coming here.This is a difficult choice.She accepts the invitation only to escape her dreadful loneliness.The letter reads as follows: Margaret was considering whether to leave when Lady Agnes opened the door. She took Margaret's arm and said, "Come in, honey. Let us help you out of the damn heat." She led her into the living room, filled with plush red Victorian sofas, chairs and tables.The room was decorated with ribbons, streamers, and colorful balloons from God knows where.Cardboard hanging from the ceiling reads in clumsy letters: Welcome baby...have a boy...happy birthday. In Mrs. Agnes's drawing room there were eight girls, tall and short, young and old, and of all colors.They changed their clothes for the occasion as Lady Agnes had ordered.Now they all wear conservative after-lunch gowns and no makeup.They looked, Margaret wondered, more respectable than most of the women in the town. Margaret stared at the prostitute in the room, not knowing what to do.Some faces are familiar.She had waited on them when she worked in her father's shop.Some of the girls were quite young and very pretty.A few were older, more obese, and their hair was clearly dyed.But there is one thing in common - they are considerate.They were all friendly, warm, kind, and they went out of their way to make her happy. They all hovered carefully around Marguerite, lest they say or do something wrong.No matter what the townspeople said, they knew that this was a lady, and they all knew the difference between Marguerite and them.They were all honored by Marguerite's presence, and determined that nothing should spoil the evening in her honor. "We've arranged a nice lunch for you, dear," said Mrs. Agnes. "I think you're hungry." They led her into the dining room, where the tables were laid out for the holidays and a bottle of champagne was placed next to Marguerite's place.As they walked down the aisle, Margaret glanced toward the stairs leading to the second-floor bedrooms.She knew Jamie had been here, but she didn't know which girl he had picked.Maybe they were all chosen by Jamie.She looked at them again, wondering what it was about them that captivated Jamie and what she lacked. Lunch became a banquet, beginning with delicious cold soup and cold salad, followed by fresh carp.Later dishes include mutton, roast duck and potatoes.There is also wine cake and cheese as well as fruit and coffee.Marguerite felt that she had eaten very well and had a great time.She sat at the head of the table, with Lady Agnes on the right and a lovely fair-haired girl who looked no older than sixteen on the left.At first, the conversation was a little restrained.These girls were capable of telling dozens of amusing, lewd stories that they felt were not for Margaret to hear.So they talked about the weather, about the development of Kripdrift, and about the future of South Africa.They have a lot of knowledge about politics, economics and diamonds because they hear it first-hand from the insiders. When Maggie was talking to Blonde, Blonde said, "Jamie just discovered a diamond mine..." and the room fell silent.Noticing the gaffe, she added cautiously, "That's my Uncle Jamie. He...he married my aunt." Marguerite was astonished to feel jealousy rising in her heart.Lady Agnes hastily changed the subject. When lunch was over, Lady Agnes got up and said, "Come this way, my dear." Margaret and the girls followed her to the second-floor living room, which Margaret had never seen before.The living room was filled with dozens of beautifully wrapped gifts.Margaret could hardly believe her eyes. "I... I don't know what to say." "Open it up," said Lady Agnes. The gifts consisted of a cradle, a pair of handmade stilettos, a blouse, a lace-trimmed bonnet, and an embroidered wool cape.There were French dolls' shoes, a silver cup with gilt lining for a child, a comb, and a brush with a silver handle.Then there were solid gold baby bib pins with beaded edges, celluloid rattles, rubber bite rings and a rocking horse painted gray and speckled.As well as toy soldiers, brightly colored building blocks.Prettiest of all was a long white christening dress. It's almost like Christmas.These were completely beyond Margaret's expectations.The loneliness and depression that had been buried in her heart for the past few months burst out at the same time, and she sobbed. Lady Agnes took her in her arms and said to the other girls, "Get out." They quietly left the room.Lady Agnes led Margaret to a sofa and sat there holding her until her sobbing stopped. "I...I'm sorry," Margaret murmured, "I...I don't know what's wrong with me." "It's all right, honey. This room has seen a lot. Do you know what I've learned? Either way, it's going to be all right in the end. You and your baby will be fine, too." "Thank you," said Margaret softly.She pointed to piles of presents. "I don't know how to thank you and your friends for me..." Lady Agnes shook Margaret's hand and said, "Don't do that. You don't know what a pleasure it is for the girls to arrange this with me. We don't often have the opportunity to do this. If one of us It's a terrible tragedy to be pregnant." She put her hand on her mouth and said, "Oh, I'm sorry." Margaret smiled. "I just want you to know this is the happiest day of my life." "We're honored you to visit us, my dear. To me, you're worth all the women in town. Those damn bitches. I'd love to have them treat you like that." They killed. If you don't mind what I say, Jamie McGregor is a damn fool." She stood up. "These men! How nice it would be for us to live in a world without these bastards. Maybe not. Who knows?" Margaret has recovered from her grief.She stood up and took Lady Agnes's hand in hers. "I will never forget this day. Unless I die. One day, when my son grows up, I will tell him everything about today." Lady Agnes frowned. "Do you really think so?" Margaret smiled and said, "I really want to tell my kids." Lady Agnes walks Margaret to the door. "I want the carriage to bring all the presents to your pantry. Good luck, then." "Thank you. Really, thank you." she left. Lady Agnes stood there watching Margaret struggle to get far down the street.Then she turned and went back inside, yelling, "Okay, ladies, let's work." An hour later, Mrs. Agnes was back in business as usual.